British Sundial Society

Yarnfield Conference 2003 - Dial Recording Workshop

After a short introduction to the current status of the Register, we discussed a range of issues on ‘Recent and proposed improvements and changes to the Register’; ‘The Dial Recording process’, and ‘Searching the Society’s database’.

On a straw poll it was clear that quite a few Members would still purchase a full printed Register even if the likely two volumes cost a total of about £60. The idea of a short form Register having one line per dial, text only and with no detailed comment, was well received .

Encouragingly there was also a substantial number in favour of an Acrobat CDROM version which would retain the images at their full resolution, would include images alongside the dial entries, would probably include the then current version of Jill’s Makers’ Biographies and would of course permit some form of Boolean word searching of both the Register and any included Biographies. I formed the view that a dual purchase of a Short Form Register with the CDROM might prove the most popular.

Suggestions made on the day included:

Annual publication of the Short Form Register
Splitting the Full printed Register into more than two volumes – possibly as many as six.
Publication of a list of museums having dial collections
Improvement to the Recording Form to remove the confusion over what hours are indicated on a dial and especially to remove the 24hr clock notation since so few dials use it.
Publication of the ten ‘best’ dials in each County.

These ideas will be considered in the coming months. In the event, we did not have enough time to complete the agenda but most of the key aspects were covered in the Recorder Newsletter which was distributed at the Workshop. All in all a good meeting; If any attendees – or for that matter any of those who could not come - wish to send me a ‘post-meeting’ comment please feel free to do so!

To download a PDF copy of the 'Dial Recorder' Newsletter please click this link (300k File)

(If the Newsletter opens up in a window on your PC right click the link and select 'Save Target As' to download to your PC)

Patrick Powers

	Yarnfield Conference 2003 - Dial Recording Workshop

	After a short introduction to the current status of the Register, we discussed a range of issues on ‘Recent and proposed improvements and changes to the Register’; ‘The Dial Recording process’, and ‘Searching the Society’s database’. On a straw poll it was clear that quite a few Members would still purchase a full printed Register even if the likely two volumes cost a total of about £60. The idea of a short form Register having one line per dial, text only and with no detailed comment, was well received . Encouragingly there was also a substantial number in favour of an Acrobat CDROM version which would retain the images at their full resolution, would include images alongside the dial entries, would probably include the then current version of Jill’s Makers’ Biographies and would of course permit some form of Boolean word searching of both the Register and any included Biographies. I formed the view that a dual purchase of a Short Form Register with the CDROM might prove the most popular. Suggestions made on the day included: Annual publication of the Short Form Register Splitting the Full printed Register into more than two volumes – possibly as many as six. Publication of a list of museums having dial collections Improvement to the Recording Form to remove the confusion over what hours are indicated on a dial and especially to remove the 24hr clock notation since so few dials use it. Publication of the ten ‘best’ dials in each County. These ideas will be considered in the coming months. In the event, we did not have enough time to complete the agenda but most of the key aspects were covered in the Recorder Newsletter which was distributed at the Workshop. All in all a good meeting; If any attendees – or for that matter any of those who could not come - wish to send me a ‘post-meeting’ comment please feel free to do so! To download a PDF copy of the 'Dial Recorder' Newsletter please click this link (300k File) (If the Newsletter opens up in a window on your PC right click the link and select 'Save Target As' to download to your PC) Patrick Powers